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Welcome

2007 - 2009: first iteration of the blog; deleted entirely sometime in 2009

2009/2010 timeframe: the blog was brought back up with a clearer focus on the Bakken, though personal views on President Obama, ObamaCare, and Global Warming were a major component of the blog

2012 timeframe: sometime in 2012 (+/- 6 months, I suppose; I forget); the site was "stolen"; I was able to locate the entire blog; recovered it by using a new URL; I have spent an inordinate amount of time changing "old" links to the "new" URL but still many, many links need to be updated;

2013 - 2014: increasing number of comments from readers complaining about my notes on the Bakken; too many readers apparently have/had not read my welcome or disclaimer, and do not understand the purpose of the blog

December 27, 2014: made the decision to shut down the blog

January 1, 2015: the blog will be shut down; reversed decision; blog to continue

[Note: my goal is to post not less than five new posts each day as well as update as many as ten old posts. When reading today's most recent posting, be sure to scroll down to see all postings for that day. Readers should assume data is only as current as of the date originally posted, but updates are often provided, and production data is updated on old posts when I find them.]

This is NOT an investment site. Do not use this site to make investment decisions.

This site is entirely about the oil industry in North Dakota (with occasional political commentary). There is an oil boom going on in the state of North Dakota. It started about 2004 following incredible results in eastern Montana in 2000.

My only agenda with regard to this site is education. The original intent was not to include news about investing and investments, but that is absolutely impossible to do when talking for an extended period of time on the oil industry. So, over time, the site has morphed to include thoughts on investments not only in the Bakken but all oil-producing formations in the Williston Basin. Right now it's subtitled "All Bakken All The Time" but it's very likely that may have to change over time as more formations become more exciting.

I generally post anywhere from three to five stand-alone postings each day, so it is important to scroll down to check out all the news for the day. I also update another five to ten (sometimes more) articles linked on the sidebar at the right or at one of the pages tabbed at the top.

The main purpose of this site is educational. Over time, investment analysis has increased (see above). This site is an attempt to provide information about "the Bakken" and to direct folks to the news stories coming out of the North Dakota oil industry. It is very, very superficial in scope. I probably understand about 1 percent of all that goes on in the industry (if that much). I have a poor memory and often make simple mistakes, but will correct them when I become aware of them. I find myself making more typographical errors as the years go by.

[My first site had a fair amount of political commentary, but that commentary seemed to detract from my overall message. That was one of the reasons I started this new site, starting completely over. I planned not to add political commentary, but when I saw so much double-speak, and opportunities lost in the current US administration, I was unable to maintain my silence. I will be adding political commentary periodically. Sorry.]

I grew up in Williston, in the heart of the Williston Oil Basin (WOB) and have followed the oil industry my entire life, in a very general way. I invest in publicly traded companies through the stock market, but my investments in WOB are trivial compared to my overall investment portfolio. I own no mineral rights, and have no inside information regarding the WOB. I do talk with people who live there and occasionally receive information second- and third-hand. I do not subscribe to any newsletters. I began subscribing to the NDIC basic subscription service in late 2010.

I enjoy following the activity in the WOB, but am not sure that investing in the oil companies in the WOB is the best way to go; there are many other opportunities in the stock market that might be better. At the current time, of the Williston Oil Basin-related companies, I am invested in the following, as well as others: BR (COP), CLR, ENB, EEP, and SLB. (I am currently not holding shares in MDU, one of my favorite long-term holdings. I no longer have shares in my favorite company, BNI, because Warren Buffet bought it in 2010. I sold all my NOG during the "bear raid" of 2011.) I trade in and out of these companies with others in the WOB. I would never recommend any companies because everyone's investment styles are different. I am often accused of being too exuberant about the WOB, and I admit it. I find the oil activity in North Dakota very interesting. It's easy to be negative about things in life, so I tend to over-compensate in some areas by being too optimistic when it comes to the oil industry.

I am definitely a novice at all this, so if something I say doesn't seem correct, it may not be. There are many ways on the web to cross-check "facts."

The largest continuous oil reservoir in the continental United States.

Additional Information

This site should not be used to make investment decisions, although it may be one of several data points to lead you in certain directions. Much of what I write can look factual, when in fact it is opinion or my general understanding of the issue. Over time, I assume this site will evolve, based on reader feedback. As expected, it was hard not to have op-ed pieces, and some have already been added.

About the site's name. The friends of my "old" Million Dollar Way blog know that the name of the site has nothing to do with money -- at least not directly in terms of me or investing. When I was growing up, the road leading out of Williston was known as the "Million Dollar Way" because of the automobile dealerships and businesses related to the oil industry.

The "Million Dollar Way" was my road out of town to an exciting life. This "Million Dollar Way" blog is a new road leading me to new destinations.

Lorin is the only son of Henry O. Bakken. The Bakken formation — the
pool of oil that lies beneath western North Dakota, northeast Montana
and part of Canada — is named for the well drilled in 1951 and 1952 on
the Henry O. Bakken farm northeast of Tioga.

While Lorin Bakken,
59, says he feels honored, he avoids the attention he could easily draw
to himself. He still lives in Tioga, but he keeps such a low profile
that many people don’t know he’s connected to the Bakken boom.

He
lives in a modest house, doesn’t own a car and hasn’t worked since he
stopped working on his family’s farm in 1992. He primarily keeps to
himself, although he regularly attends Zion Lutheran Church, eats lunch
twice a week at the senior center and does errands in downtown Tioga.

Lorin said he was private before his name became famous, and he hasn’t changed.

This blog seems to be optimized for Firefox/MacOS. I find errors in formatting when I check the blog on Internet Explorer browsers; perhaps they are older versions of Internet Explorer.

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Undated, But References the 2008 Oil Boom and Record Low Unemployment

Other Bakken Blogs

On January 14, 2013, I received this comment: "Of all the Bakken blogs yours is the most political." I did not know if that was a compliment or a complaint. Of course, it is not true. To the best of my knowledge, the "Bakken blog" that is most political is Teegue's water cooler. The last post for the water cooler was dated August 24, 2012.

Actually, I don't know if the water cooler discussion group is moderated by "Teegue," but it is an offshoot of the Bakken Shale Discussion Group which allows no political discussion whatsoever. More than one infraction and you will be kicked out of the discussion group. Teegue is also on record that no one is to mention the "Million Dollar Way" blogspot on his discussion group.

But the comment about the Million Dollar Way being the most political of all Bakken blogs gave me an opportunity to google "Bakken blogs." And this is what showed up at 9:00 p.m. EST, January 14, 2013:

#1: Bakken Blog: "oil patch coverage since 2007." It started out as a blog about Mountrail County only but has since expanded to include the entire Bakken and Three Forks oil play. Without other sites about the energy industry, this blog's information provides no perspective on what is going on elsewhere.